Hallelujah

What stuck with you on this very special Lord's day? We experienced a magnificent worship service this morning - the praise song Revelation 19 just will not leave my head (actually, I am glad for that). Just had to spend time in Revelation 19 after that.....

"After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;..." And a second time they said, "Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever."...."Amen. Hallelujah!"....Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns." Revelation 19

All Time Favorite

My all time favorite song.....Before the Throne of God

(I have Selah's version on my ipod)

Before the throne of God above I have a strong,
a perfect plea A great High Priest whose name is
Love Who ever lives and pleads for me

When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me
of the guilt within Upward I look and see Him there,
Who made an end to all my sin

Because the sinless Savior died my sinful
soul is counted free For God the Just is
satisfied to look on Him and pardon me To look on Him and pardon me

Before the throne of God, I come
Before the throne of God, I come

Behold Him there, the risen Lamb my perfect spotless righteousness
The great unchangeable I Am, the King of glory and of grace

My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in Heaven, He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart

One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased with His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God
With Christ my Savior and my God

Above All

Click on the following link and watch a great video.....it takes about 9 minutes or so to watch. Really cool. www.godtube.com

Scarves

"Jacob, it is 43 degrees and heavy fog. Please go put on warmer clothes."

His answer....I'll grab a scarf

View Through the Fog

It is a foggy, foggy morning here today. I like the fog. It quiets and soothes the world around me. It sweeps in and envelopes our little town and then quietly pulls back out towards the ocean. As I was thinking about the fog this early morning I was reminded of a story Ruth Bell Graham tells of a friend who was a sheriff officer. He was an excellent marksman and was looking forward to some range testing. Unfortunately, the day prior to his testing he received new trifocal glasses. As he took aim on the target he became very nervous due to using the new glasses. He started to perspire. When he perspired it fogged up his glasses. He then remembered a tip that had been passed onto him in the military. When you can't see your target - remember your position. He took a deep breath, thought about his position in front of the target and hit all five shots dead on. Sometimes when we are in the fog (by our choice or the Lord's) it is impossible to see the target and forget the position we have in Christ.

Sometimes the Lord allows fog in our lives because we took our eyes off the target of Christ and are prone to wander. Are you in the fog this morning? Try during this passion week to remember your position - in Christ. You will hit the target every time.

11 Years AGo Today...

11 years ago today, Emma Cathryn Grant entered our lives...we were blessed at the time and are abundantly blessed today. She is fun, smart, beautiful, caring, feels and sees the hurts in our world like no other. She celebrated with girlfriends last night by doing a neighborhood scavenger hunt. I'm not sure the neighborhood is ever going to be the same (just ask our neighbor's from India who have no idea what the girls were doing and asking for at their home.

A little party prep...

She was blessed with gifts...(over the top generous)

They are young women, but still very 11...

When she was born she was immediately placed on my bare chest. She didn't cry, but lifted her head and looked straight into my eyes. I told my husband that I felt like she looked directly into my soul. A very God moment. My prayer for her is that she will grow deeply in the Lord, that her heart will be forever placed in His hands, and she will live according to His purpose and will. She is well on her way..Happy Birthday, Emma.

Breakfast, Dad, Cookies and Friends

Another free saturday. They are so rarely free....breakfast in Cayucos. Yummmm...

Dad got to join us....seven weeks without him as he was working nights and sleeping days. He only had three days off and we are all a little frayed around the edges.

Craving chocolate cookies.....had to make some.

Always best to enjoy with a friend.

I See Broken Bones in the Future...

Bezalel

Do you know who he was? Interesting character to ponder. I was looking back over a bible study I did a couple of years ago and was once again taken with the biblical story of Bezalel. You will find it in Exodus 31 and 36. Who was this man? He was (according to scholarly people much wiser than myself) the only person mentioned in the old testament who the Lord filled with the Holy Spirit who wasn't a leader or prophet. Isn't that an amazing thing? What else did the Lord bestow on this man? "...in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship." And not for just the 'honey-do' list around the house, but for the building of the tent of meeting and the ark of the covenant. Aahhhh.....He chose an everyday, nothing special (or so we thought) laborer and indwelled him with the Holy Spirit.

Why him? Why Bezalel? We will never know, but scholars are in surmising agreement that it had to do with his obedience to the Lord. I like how Beth Moore described it..."God empowered Bezalel to perform his assignment, apparently viewing the situation like this: I have a job that needs to be done, and I want it done right the first time. That means I will have to do it Myself. So He did - through Bezalel. God searches for laborers who will simply let Him do His job through them as His vessels."

What monumental anointing and I am sure it was never lost on Bezalel. It begs the question I have asked before. Here in North America we are very out of touch with God's Glory and His Holiness (not so in other parts of the world). I often wonder if part of the reason is that we as evangelical Christians take the Holy Spirit for granted. See, in the New Testament we know He will never leave us or forsake us. Not the case in the Old Testament. They knew (those who had the Holy Spirit placed on them) that it could go. Just read David's lament in Psalm 51. Is some of our apathy due to taking the Spirit for granted?

Those were the days

Remember 2nd Chapter of Acts....well if you don't (or were too young or heaven forbid...not born yet) they were a Christian Band first popular in the late 70's. You would probably be familiar with several of their songs, but most definitely Easter Song. I won't tell how old or young I was, but they were the first "rock concert" I attended. They were playing at Cal Poly at the time. I recently listened to their original version of Easter song and while enjoying the vocals was openly laughing at the instrumentation. Go ahead....laugh....what were you doing during the late 70's? What were you listening to, Christian or otherwise? Don't get me started on Journey....talk about taking a ride back to high school.

Rest

I have been pondering rest recently. Mostly because I am not getting any and am tired. Two different thinkers, but both utilizing God's word have me realizing the need for nourishing rest. I watched Rob Bell's DVD entitled Everything is Spirituall the other evening. It is an outstanding teaching on Genesis 1. One of the topics is sabbath rest. I highly recommend the DVD. The other pointer came from Ruth Bell Graham in her book called Letters from Ruth's Attic. The scripture read, "The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. And He said to them, 'Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while'. (for there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves." She goes on to write this, "Do you remember the Prophet Elijah? At one point he was so tired that he wanted to give up. He told God that he just couldn't go on. God didn't lecture Elijah on his faults and failures, causing him to be more discouraged that he was. No, God sent an angel to awaken Elijah and give him something to eat and drink. Then Elijah lay down and slept again." A very interesting point in the above scripture is to note that Jesus desired to give the apostles rest and nourishment. It did not come to fruition the way they desired. Read on in Mark and you will experience the rest of the story (no pun intended).

Are you available to be someones angel today? Do you know someone who needs rest and nourishment? Are you in need of rest? What steps are you taking to get some rest and rejuvenation? What would you do with 2 hours (6 hours, a day....an overnight) of rest? I'd start here at this picture...

A Little Sunshine

I shared with you back in December regarding the birth of my grand niece (the first great-grandchild). Her name is willow....we visited recently. Is she not the cutest??!!

Emma thinks so! Jacob thinks so!

So does Joey!

Hair - to Keep or Cut

There is a reason I have had short hair for many, many years. It is easy, it doesn't get in my face (I hate that....sorry about that....I dislike it strongly!), it keeps its shape in all types of weather conditions, and....well....I have no hair styling ability. Now, that all being said I am growing my hair out. It is an adventure as it is in between lengths....come on gals who are reading....you know what that feels like. Longer hair takes time, hair products and some skill. Up until recently I had none of those three. I am now building in more time to do my hair. I now have hair products, but skill continues to be elusive to me. Yes, I got my round brush stuck in my hair last week. Seriously.....I did. I thought I was going to have to cut it out. Who invented those things? They seem like an oxymoron to me. Then this morning I sprayed hair spray in my eye. Didn't feel great, but the bigger problem is that I was reading scripture in church. I had more than one person comment to me about me wearing my glasses to read this morning. It wasn't only to see the words more clearly....it was so I could see at all!

Pick up Sticks and Crutches

I have to ask myself if it is OK for my 5 year old to play the game of pick up sticks and win? Now, you might think that is an odd question until you realize the partner she was playing with was a pair of old crutches she found in my closet. Why? You ask was she not playing with any of her siblings....well, because they had been sent to their rooms for behavior less than worthy of a good game of pick up sticks! My youngest is now telling everyone she comes into contact with that she beat a pair of crutches in the game of pick up sticks. I think I need to carry my camera around. The expressions have been priceless. I'm not sure if I am doing something right or wrong?

A little Rain will Fall

Into each life a little rain will fall...in our part of the world real rain is falling (praise the Lord). Spent several cold, wet hours standing in it with my kiddo's yesterday all to see the finish of the the 4th stage of the Tour of California. It was awesome....tiring (and we were just watching)....interesting....met some people from other parts of our country who came for the race...interesting interactions this week from the Lord with people I don't know. A friend sent me some scripture recently...here is one for today...

"Faithful, Father, I desire to become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then I will no longer be an infant, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, please teach me to speak the truth in love, growing up into Him who is the head, that is, Christ." Eph. 4:13-14

A Good One

I realize there are several good books on the market on forgiveness, but I wanted to recommend this one, Choosing Forgiveness by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Incredibly well written, and excellent application of scripture. It is an easy read, but not comfortable in conviction. Seeing our lack of forgiveness never is. Here are a couple of quotes..."

"The question is this: Do those wounds—past or present—have to define who you are, where you’re headed, and how you get there?"

"But if we are going to be true instruments of mercy in each other’s lives, we must deal in truth-God’s truth."

"But like everything else in the Christian life, forgiving others is much more than what-fors and how-comes. Ours is an active faith. It is made alive and appealing only when our nouns turn into verbs. On the other side of “choosing forgiveness” is the kind of life God intended for you when He sent His Son to die for your sin – the freedom to bless others, to walk unhindered by bitterness and resentment, to relate confidently with God and with the people around you, and most important to be living, walking display of the gospel and grace of Christ."

Let me know if you end up reading it. I finished it in two reading sessions...

Spring is Coming

The flowers are peaking out from their winter shell....

Saying Goodbye...

(sea of Galilee, taken by greg west)

My oldest son is having an experience that is part of life, but you hope they don't experience when they are so young. A classmate who has had long term health issues went home to be with the Lord today. She was an extraordinary young lady living a very difficult and challenging life. My son only knew her for a little while, but she had an impact on such a small school with close intimate class sizes. He is doing OK with all of it as we have not withheld any information over the past few weeks and he has had some processing time. Some of his friends are really struggling, though. He spent time with one of those friends walking around the field and talking as this friend fought through his emotions. They are only 12 and 13 years old....so young...so vulnerable....so caring... I was reminded of 2 corinthians 4:7-8 earlier today which reads,

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves, we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing."

We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3 : 18

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